Following the Moon

By J. Alex Knoll

The pre-dawn display in the east continues this week, with the waning crescent moon joining the show. Early Friday the moon trails Jupiter by just two degrees, with Mars, Spica and Venus stretching down to their left. Saturday, the moon is between Jupiter and Mars, while Sunday the moon hangs almost equally between Mars and Spica. Then Monday the moon shines barely one degree to the right of Venus, easily within the field of view of binoculars, a modest telescope or a camera. Tuesday you’ll be hard-pressed to spot the last of this thin crescent, now a dozen degrees below Venus. Venus, the brightest of all stars and planets, is sinking lower day by day, while Jupiter, Mars and Spica are climbing higher and rising earlier.
We’re still a few weeks from the December 22 solstice, but Tuesday is our earliest sunset of the year.